Ratings

Ratings are assessments that assign a value, quality, or level to a subject according to predefined criteria or scales. They summarize information, guide decisions, and communicate risk or quality to a broad audience. Ratings can apply to products, services, performances, media, people, and organizations, and may be produced by organizations, researchers, or automated systems.

Common types include content ratings for media that indicate suitability by age, credit ratings that express an issuer’s creditworthiness, and consumer or product ratings that reflect user satisfaction on star, numeric, or letter scales. Employee performance ratings assess an individual’s job performance. Ratings vary in format, from stars to points to letters, depending on the system.

Examples of rating systems include content boards such as the MPAA, ESRB, PEGI, and IARC; credit rating agencies such as Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and Fitch; and consumer platforms that publish user ratings and reviews. Each system applies its own criteria, methods, and thresholds, which can complicate comparisons across subjects.

Methodology and limitations: Ratings rely on judgments, criteria, and data that may be incomplete or biased. They can be influenced by incentives, marketing, or information quality, and may change over time. Ratings should be used as guides, not guarantees, and considered with context, history, and methodological notes.

Across domains, ratings help organize information, allocate resources, and inform decisions. Transparent criteria and consistent application improve credibility, while awareness of limitations protects against overreliance on a single score.